POLL/VIDEO: Fewer flights, high fares and more fees keep travelers grounded for Thanksgiving

Fewer Americans are expected to fly this Thanksgiving even as the recession's grip has loosened and more people are expected to travel overall.

About 38.4 million Americans will venture more than 50 miles this year, inching up 1.4 percent from last year's 37.8 million, according to AAA Auto Club South.

Most of those, 86 percent, will drive, which AAA said reflects a growing frustration with air travel, including fewer flights, high fares and more fees.

Florida is expected to see a 3 percent increase in travel this year to 2.1 million, with 140,000 of those flying.

"The numbers show an even greater number of people who plan on driving, which reflects a growing public dissatisfaction with air travel," a AAA statement said.

Betty and Bill Crandall of Port Charlotte are among those disheartened by the state of air travel.

Each year, they fly to see Bill's son in Arkansas. But this year, with cuts in flights, the Crandall's could not land in the state – instead they were destined for Tulsa, Okla, a two-hour drive from Bill's son's house.

"It's a special event but the worst time to travel," said Bill Crandall, who was leaving from Southwest Florida International Airport Saturday.

They shook their heads at mounting fees, like a $20 luggage charge.

"We tried to see if we could cram everything into one bag," Bill Crandall said.

Though holiday travel is up from last year, this is the 10th year for declining air travel.

Since 2000, the number of holiday air travelers has dropped 62 percent. This year, only 6 percent of Americans traveling over the Thanksgiving weekend will board planes.

Families like David and Leslie Critchfield still took a vacation but avoided the holiday weekend all together.

Together with their children and four grandchildren, the Critchfields, of Wadsworth, Ohio, were heading home Saturday after an early Thanksgiving celebration on Fort Myers Beach.

The children's parents "wanted to travel over Thanksgiving so they wouldn't have to take the kids out of school and David said; ‘No way.'" Leslie Critchfield said.

They learned their lesson of holiday road traffic from their daughter's drive home from Philadelphia when a seven hour drive became 13.

"From that I knew there was just no way I wanted to be involved with that," David Critchfield said.

Still, no matter the hassle, the air travel was worth it.

"I enjoy it a lot," Bill Crandall said, adding that he is able to make the trip just once a year. "It's a big thing for us." Leslie Critchfield, looking at her four grandchildren, said: "It's fabulous to be together as a family."

Southwest Florida International Airport has no estimates of holiday travelers coming through the Fort Myers terminal. But every holiday, it brings on more people to help prepare for the holiday rush.

"From our perspective, whether it's more people or less people traveling we still are going to be ramped up to make sure it's comfortable, it's clean and it's going to be in good working order," said Victoria Moreland, airport spokeswoman.

For those who will be driving, AAA cautioned against talking and texting while driving, particularly on a full stomach that could lead to drowsiness.

And while the roads may be packed, a small relief may be seen at the pump.

"This may be a holiday where retail fuel prices remain flat or decline, and that would extend a trend of recent years," said Gregg Laskoski, spokesman for AAA Auto Club South.

As of Friday, the average gallon of regular unleaded gas was $2.68 in Florida and $2.64 across the country. That's down slightly in Florida from $2.69 last week, but up 34 percent from last year's $2.01.

"In five of the last seven years, the national average price of gasoline has declined during Thanksgiving week and one year it remained unchanged," Laskoski said. "Only once in the last seven years have prices increased and that was 2006 when the national average price of unleaded gasoline increased by 3 cents per gallon during Thanksgiving week."